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Magicant
Magicants are areas that appear in Mother, Cognitive Dissonance, and Earthbound. In each game, they are the worlds of people's minds, fused together with their innermost memories, dreams, and feelings. They often play a huge role in the games' stories, whether they'd be penultimate areas or -- in CogDis's case -- where the final boss resides. Magicants vary from person to person, but most of them contain a basic layout: a world littered with memories both good and bad, with a path that leads to the person's dark side. However, someone's emotional burden and their PSI power can alter Magicant -- for example, they can turn it into a paradise full of nice, albeit eccentric people or into a wasteland populated by monsters. While every creature has a Magicant, very few know how to reach them. The Geegs can possibly access and manipulate Magicants at will through their mental amplifiers, as seen when Giegue and two others use an amplifier to seal Maria inside hers. For others, however, accessing their Magicants require them to gather power from significant spots on a planet or throughout the galaxy. Such places show visions of their memories. Once enough are gathered, the power renders them unconscious, and they come to in the middle of their mind. It is only enough for a one-time trip, and the world will disappear the moment they wake up in the real world. In Mother In the game, Ninten frequently accesses and interacts with Queen Mary's Magicant. The world takes the form of a pink landscape surrounded by rivers, and the only signs of life are a small town, a castle that changes shape depending on who views it, and monsters that lurk between the two areas. The monsters themselves are the most bizzare parts of this world: giant teddy bears, clouds with faces on them, eyeballs symbolizing family members, and sentient trees. The queen suffers from memory loss, vaguely remembering parts of a song that show up in her nightmares. She asks Ninten to help her remember. By the end of the game, he figures out what the song is, and he plays it to her. Once he finishes, Mary's memories return, and the woman reveals that she's Maria, Ninten's great-grandmother. Maria summarizes her relationship with Giegue, then disappears with the rest of Magicant, stating that "her purpose is complete." In CogDis Magicant appears at first in brief segments throughout CogDis. Such segments involve the characters traversing narrow cracked paths within a void and using teleporters to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Niiue explores this area in Chapter (to be added later). Some incarnations of people the Geeg knows appear in this area, including Zarbol without his saucer, a carriage containing a baby Giegue, and Alinivar. Toward the end, Niiue encounters Ninten, but the boy quickly disappears in a flash of light. In Chapter 7, the Applechasers discover an active amplifier on a hilltop in future Onett. Interacting with the device warps them to the same place Niiue explored earlier. This time, they enter a cave at the farthest end of the area, and the environment drastically changes. Here, rock gives way to paths of red, and monsters burrow underneath the ground. After fighting their way through the Horror Claws and Tangoos, the Applechaser fall down a hole and drop into an area full of doors. Niiue appears, explains what happened after they escaped in the Phase Distorter, then creates another door that warps them back to Onett. The Applechasers return in Chapter 8. Since their last visit, the area has started falling apart, and a Gargianthian-like monster now guards the entrance to the hub area. Once they defeat it, the group sees that they can now access all the doors except for the top two. Behind each door lies one character's Magicant. The blue door leads to Alinivar's, the yellow door leads to Col. Saturn's, the red door leads to Larice's, and the green door leads to Zarbol's. 'Alinivar's Magicant' Alinivar, as with each of the Applechasers' doors, can only enter his Magicant alone. He walks into the inside of his home on Saturn, but when the Mook exits, he emerges into an unfamiliar area full of other members of his species and hostile Freakjaws. The Mooks insult Alinivar, calling him a loser and a freak, hinting at a rough life growing up. He next proceeds through an area resembling the Celine. At the end is a Starman standing next to a pillar of fire, who compliments Alinivar before urging him on. The Mook walks into the flame and warps to a snow-covered mountain populated by Wild 'n Wooly Shamblers. Depending on what the player did before entering Magicant, Cerue shows up here. She tells Alinivar not to feel bad about himself or his abilities. Ninten also makes an appearence, though he'll disappear if the Mook attempts to talk to him. The next door leads the Mook to an area resembling Earth, and he finds himself in his human disguise. Most of the people here speak nonsense, but a couple urge him forward like the Starman did. Another flame burns at the end of this section, and a present containing Alinivar's best weapon sits beside it. Alinivar is warped to an area full of bright colors. An aura similar to the points of power waits for the Mook on a pedestal. The aura calls himself the part of Alinivar that "just wants to quit." A boss battle commences with the creature -- named Reflecto -- who looks exactly like Alinivar in the battle screen. After a long and difficult fight, Alinivar absorbs the power of his mind, learning PK Shockwave Omega and Super Healing. One more door appears, taking the Mook back into the hub area. 'Col. Saturn's Magicant' The colonel's Magicant starts similar to Alinivars; the character appears inside their house, but the exit takes them to a different place. At first, no enemies appear. But not long after leaving, a meteor smashes into an area nearby, shaking the ground and awakening the Mr. Saturn's longtime nemisis -- rocks. The colonel fights his way through the Rock Soldiers and into Satralia, where he discovers it overran by the rocks. None of them seem to be a threat to the Saturns; those that appear dead are simply lying down for no reason. Saving the town is completely optional. Col. Saturn makes his way up to where his house is supposed to be. Going inside eventually leads him to an area west of town. Making his way back, he sees a group of robots blocking the path south. The Saturn heads up to a house that a boulder blocked for most of the game. A UFO inside will give the colonel a pair of clown shoes. It is actually a Buzzin' Crowdbuster, which doesn't resemble clown shoes at all. He uses the Crowdbuster on the robots, opening the path. After progressing through another area, Col. Saturn will emerge on a plateau near the town's southern entrance. A house with a sign marked "Escape!" sits on top, along with Teddy. Like Ninten, talking to Teddy will make him disappear. Going inside the escape house takes the Saturn to the same area Alinivar entered at the end of his section. Here, the colonel's fear and paranoia -- taking the form of a bazooka-toting rock soldier called Hard Rock -- waits on the pedestal. Upon defeating his opponent, the Saturn learns PK Flash Omega. 'Larice's Magicant' Larice's Magicant takes the form of Giegue's Mothership the day after they abandoned Earth. The Starman awakens on the bridge. They talk to Niiue, who says that Giegue left to brood on the ship's observation deck. Niiue also claims that they and Giegue go "way back." Before Larice can leave the bridge, however, they wind up confronting a malfunctioning security robot that Giegue warded off in the prologue. Thankfully, it's just as easy here. Larice manages to fight their way through Last Starmen and bizzare clones of Giegue toward the bottom of the area. Strangely enough, upon reaching the door to the observation deck, they discover that a mummy's curse has been placed on it, rendering it inaccessable. The Starman proceeds back up, enters another door, and finds the mummy. For a moment, it joins Larice, and it'll even fight any enemies lurking in the room. But once Larice reaches the exit, the mummy attacks. It reveals itself as an Eerie Smile copying a Last Starman's attack pattern. Once the mummy dies, the curse is lifted. Larice proceeds back to the door to the observation deck and enters. The hallway between these areas are a fusion between the cities on Mars and Giegue's Mothership. Flames engulf the area, and it is set in the middle of a colorful void. Warping past the broken floors and enemies, Larice comes to another door. Going inside, they discover Giegue gazing down at Earth. The Starman confronts the Geeg. They hold a brief conversation until Giegue realizes what Larice wants to do. They tear Larice's emblem off, knocking them back. The Geeg insults and berates the Starman before attacking. In the battle screen, however, they take the form of a Goog, and Larice defeats it as easily as they did the others. Afterwards, Giegue turns into an Autotele 9000. It offers two options for the Starman to warp to: Magicant and Magicant. Larice wisely picks Magicant. The Autotele 9000 sends Larice to the embodiment of their ambition and loyalty to the Starmen, which is called the Influence Inhibitor. It takes the form of the Electro Specter with a Starman insignia, and like Alinivar's fight, it uses many of the Starman's techniques in battle. Eventually, Larice conquers it and absorbs the power of PK Starstorm Omega from their Magicant. 'Zarbol's Magicant' This insectoid's Magicant is the shortest of them all. Zarbol starts off crashing his UFO, forcing the alien outside. He discovers the crash site; a snow-covered mountain. Crows fly through the air, and golden apples hop across the ground. Zarbol collects the closest apple, which says to him, "You found me. Now find more." He buzzes down the mountain and does what the fruit commands. As Zarbol collects more and more apples, they reveal more and more about his role in the prophecy. They tell him to look for the boy with PSI, and that he'll be travelling in another rock very soon. When Zarbol gathers all the apples, they repair his ship. Once the insectoid boards it, the crows turn into UFOs that will fight Zarbol should he come in contact with them. Thankfully, he makes it back down the mountain, where a teleporter awaits. The teleporter takes him to a grassy plain inhabited by a few UFOs, a Fobby, and an illusion of Lloyd. Again, if Zarbol talks to Lloyd, he'll fade into nothingness. A ladder nearby takes the alien up to another teleporter. He appears in the place where his doubt and uncertainty lie, represented by a nightmarish combination of Alinivar, Larice, and Col. Saturn called Threefold. Thanks to Zarbol's Reflect ability, the worst of the damage bounces back to the creature. Eventually, the insectoid destroys it and learns the power of PSI Reflect Sigma. The Final Doors After dealing with the last of the four doors, the Applechasers appear in a replica of Bowfest '8X. Alinivar, Col. Saturn, and Zarbol decide to perform one more song together with Larice serving as an audience. They perform the track "Speak." Niiue comes in a few seconds in and sings the lyrics that are heard, offering the only speaking role of any character in the game. Residents from everyone's Magicants pop into the area, and eventually, Giegue themself makes an appearence. Soon afterward, the song ends. The Applechasers reappear in the hub world. Its remaining two doors unlock. The white one leads to Niiue's Magicant, and the grey one leads to Giegue's. 'Niiue's Magicant' This Magicant heavily resembles the one Maria's consciousness created in Mother. The clouds beneath the Applechasers' feet make whistling sounds with each step, and water from an unknown source overhead pours into the area's streams and into the void below. They proceed upward to a sign standing beside a bridge. It warns the aliens of monsters lurking near the town. Indeed, when Alinivar crosses the bridge and enters another seemingly empty section, the monsters attack. They are also carried over from Mother and possess most of their abilities from the first game. Some, like the Sky Yddet, even have new techniques. Despite being beefed-up, these enemies pose little challenge for the Applechasers, and the heroes soon enter the town. Magicant's population consists of various Earth creatures -- mostly humans -- and a Starman. Most of them say nonsense, references, and mindnumbingly great puns. A couple state that they saw a mysterious woman roaming the area, particularly the ground-swimming cat at the south of town near a locked house. According to them, she is the only person capable of opening that house. East of the area, the Applechasers find the strange woman, who they discover to be Maria. The aliens attempt to talk to her, but she seemingly breaks apart in the wind. Later on, however, they find her once again near the house. Like before, talking to Maria makes her disappear. From then on, the Applechasers chase Maria through a field, trying to get answers from her. Eventually, she returns to the house and unlocks the door before disappearing forever. Inside, the Applechasers find several billboards posted across the area. Some give advice, some question why the Magicant's owner bothered posting billboards, and one explains PK Harmony. At the end is a young Giegue curled up, fast asleep. Talking to him will take the Applechasers back to the hub area. 'Giegue's Magicant' Giegue's Magicant consists of a flashback, much of which takes place in a cutscene. The sequence begins with George and Maria watching a meteor shower and saying sappy things to each other. Suddenly, Maria hears something that sounds like a hurt animal crying, and the couple heads off to check it out. They discover a young alien being forced back toward a river by a dog. George and Maria fight it while the alien watches -- they eventually join, blasting the dog with a power unknown to the humans and scaring it off. It also scares George, but Maria isn't threatened at all by the alien and encourages it to come to her. The alien floats over, looks the woman over, and throws itself into Maria's arms. Moments later, the humans carry it back to their house. Later that night, while the alien sleeps, George and Maria discuss what to do with it. George pleads with her to not get attached, but Maria ignores him and suggests giving it a home -- theirs. She claims the alien could understand her. Eventually, the couple decides to discuss it further in the morning, and they head off to bed. Maria awakens the next day to find George missing. Taking the alien, the woman leaves the house and finds herself in a metal hallway. Strange creatures resembling the alien she carries study the human from behind windows built into the walls. One of them tells her to not be frightened. Maria confuses the voice for her alien's, and in doing so, inexplicably calls it "Googi." An energy barrier blocks a passage down the hall, so Maria travels up it, passing alien after alien. After checking out a massive blast door, she encounters another one at the very end, and enters it. George is standing behind a window inside, watching the universe. George, after trying to avoid the subject, tells her that the next day isn't actually the next day; she has slept for weeks aboard an alien mothership. Maria remains optimistic about the situation, stating that they've made it through tougher times. The subject turns to Googi, with Maria telling her husband that a ship is no place for a child. George responds that the aliens, for some reason, want them to keep Googi, and had even gone to the trouble of making a bedroom for the child. He suggests checking it out. Maria takes Googi over to the room on the other side of the hallway (the barrier is now gone). What they find inside is an almost exact replica of a human bedroom, complete with a toybox, an aquarium, and a few books. A cutscene plays, summarizing the two years they spent aboard the ship. Images of Googi playing with their toys, reading with Maria, coloring, and pretending to be a ghost play as Maria describes their relationship. She says Googi was always wagging their tail, except for when she sang their lullaby. Eventually, the woman discovers Googi's true name: Giegue. But one day, George finds something. They all head to the machine room, unaware that one of the aliens is still watching. Once inside, George explains how he found and pried open a loose panel in the corner, revealing a room. The family walks inside. Inside, they find stacks and stacks of disc-shaped objects everywhere, with green lights at their centers. A couple flash red lights and seem to have tentacles poking out of them. George treats these objects with excitement despite having no clue what they do or how they work. Maria decides to leave, and in the meantime, George stashes a few in his coat and works on sealing the opening. For the next few months, George stays up day and night studying the discs. One day, he bursts into Maria's bedroom and reveals what they are: mental amplifiers. Taking Giegue with them, the couple sets one up in front of the blast door. With the amplifier active, George uses PK Thunder and blasts the door apart. And the family starts their escape. Maria notices about a dozen Geegs watching them and believes something is wrong. They arrive at the mothership's docking bay without incident. Meanwhile, Giegue has worked himself into a panic; as George works on starting up a ship, he suggests that Maria sing her favorite song to calm the alien down. And she tries it. Not even halfway through the song, Maria is thrown backward as two Geegs enter the docking bay. Floating in midair, the woman says that she doesn't feel well. One of the amplifiers activates, its tentacles twisting to form a pink spire with the symbol "XX" emblazoned on it. Afterward, the Geegs seal her inside. Out of options, George rushes aboard the ship with the amplifiers and flies out of the ship. And the flashback ends, returning the Applechasers to the hub world.